The New York State Park Police is stretched dangerously thin and needs 120 more officers to patrol parks and historic sites, particularly those on Long Island, union officials said. Photo Credit: Kevin P Coughlin

Until last month -- and for all of last year -- Long Island's 26 state parks had only about a dozen officers per shift, he said.

Nine new recruits recently were added, boosting the total to 44. But recruits work with senior officers during an initial 10-week period, limiting how many assignments they can handle, union officials said.

In 2010, Long Island had 49 park officers -- and no recruits, the PBA said.

But 35 park police recruits have been added in each of the last three years, Simons said.

"We're maxing out our academies," he said, noting training had halted during the recession.

Suffolk police "were a substantial distance away," which delayed their response, according to the union.

Besides occasional disturbances, park officers handle large shows, patrol parking areas, deal with felonies and misdemeanors, assist distressed boaters and can aid swimmers after lifeguards leave.Long Island, Niagara and parts of the Hudson Valley, including the Palisades, all have about the same number of park officers, Vilar said. Yet only 11.6 million people visited Niagara's parks last year; Long Island's -- led by Jones Beach, Robert Moses, and Sunken Meadow -- had 19 million.

Long Island park officers also dealt with more crime than those in Niagara and the Palisades in most years from 2009 to 2013, according to state records.

"We don't want to say people are unsafe," Vilar said, "but they're not as safe as they could be if they had more officers."